Seventeen days of Oktoberfest begin in Munich

In a ceremony “tapping” the first keg of beer to be drunk over 17 days of excess, Christian Ude, the mayor of Munich, launched Oktoberfest, one of the world’s most popular festivals. The mayor dealt the keg two blows of his hammer and shouted “O’zapft is”, or: “It’s Tapped!”, and put the first tap into the first keg.Security is rumoured to be tighter than ever at this year’s 178th traditional German folk festival, though no specific threat is said to exist. Munich anticipates more than six million visitors from across the globe over the coming 17 days. Last year’s guests drank around 7.1 million litres of beer. This year, the cost of a litre will sell for €9.20.AP[pictured: Herrenchiemsee, 60 km from Munich; Bavarian tourism]